A bunch of Martial Arts questions

[Sam Baughn]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

What I don't understand is the point of Combat Art. I understand why it exists: Some schools focus on pretty movements and attractive kata, and if you end every attack with jazz hands, this can hamper your ability to defeat an opponent. But from a player's perspective, is there any reason to take it? Any reason that those jazz hands might benefit you? Do Combat Art skills exist solely to say "This martial art technique isn't really all that effective," or can you use Combat Art skills to gain some kind of reaction bonus from your audience?

In short: Is there ever a reason, any campaign assumptions, any special rules, where a player might prefer to take Combat Art over a Combat skill? Or is it always inferior? I'm looking for mechanical reasons here, not fluffy reasoning (Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that I already know the fluffy reasons a player might prefer Combat Art. I don't know the mechanical reasons he would).

Combat Art skills give a bonus to audience reactions in Gladiators. It seems fairly likely that they would also give a bonus in other situations... intimidation rolls in combat seem likely to benefit, especially against unskilled opponents.

Presumably it's also the skill you need to fake combat and make it look sufficiently brutal to fool an audience. I'm sure that there are PCs who are likely to benefit from that.